Lint-cotton cleaner.



A. W, WASHBURN & G. D. KBELER.

LINT COTTON CLEANER.

union-m! rum) APR. 14, 1010.

Patented J una "20, 1911.

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995,993, Patented June 20, 1911.

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Wag 5' q. B. Il'eeler Z WWW flotneq to pass the cotton UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR W. WASHBURN, 0F MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, AND CHARLES D. KEELER, OF PERTHSHIRE, MISSISSIPPI.

LINT-COTTON CLEANER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 20, 1911.

Application filed April 14, 1910. Serial No. 555,496.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, ARTHUR IV. \Vnsn- BURN nnd'CHAuLns D. Known, citizens of the United States, residing, respectively, at Memphis, in the county of Shelby and State of Tennessee, and at Pcrthshire, in the county of Bolivar and State of Mississippi, have invented new and useful Improvements in Lint-Cotton Cleaners, ofwhich the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to machinery for handlin cotton and particularly to our chines or cleaning lint cotton.

The object of our invention is to provide means for removing any trash and dirt that may be in the lint cotton and to greatly improve the grade of the cotton after it has been ginned by the common gin stands.

In the treatment of cotton it is the usuul practice to conduct the lint cotton from the ins by an air blast to a condenser where it is formed into a continumls bat and then dclivered between metal rolls which subject the same to high ressure, the sheet being then lapped or laid up in the form of a bale.

-It is our purpose to subject. the lint cotton to a further cleaning and carding process before it passes to the press in order to its prove the grade of cotton.

We are aware that it has been proposed but, after it leaves the condenser rolls, over a grill and to subject it to an air-blast for the .nu'pose of forcing foreign particles from the cotton before it passes to the pressing rolls. Those prior methods were, however, not effectual for the purpose of removing the dirt and trash us the foreign particles are tcnaciously held in the bait and cannot be dislodged by means of an air-blast. In our present n'iethod we subject each successive portion of the but to .a combined cording; con -ing, and brushing, thus positively noting up )Il every particle. ol the lint cotton.

Our invention will he moreclenrly understood from the following description in counection with the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a side elevation of n machine embodying our invention; Fig. 2 is a vertica l longitudinal section thereof; Fig. 3 a top plan view of the some, the to .1. of the casing beingpartly cut away; and ignites an enlarged detail view of one of the feeding devices.

The lint cotton from the ordinary gins is delivered by means of an air blast feed through the flue or conduit 2 and received upon a gauze-covered condenser drum or cylinder 3, and passing under a roller 4,

preferably of wood, is col'uprcssed into a but and passing under the curved guide 8, is delivered upon the table ll. The cotton but is fed through the channel between the table and the presscr-board 10, by reciprocating serrated feeders 12 having oppositely disposed teeth 13, which project through longitudinal slots 14- in the table and board, and is yicldingly held at the edge 15 of the table and in the path of the revolving brushes and. needles on the carding and brushing drum l8,'by means of n spring 19, secured to the under side of the ncsser-bourd. The spring 19 is assisted in holding the but by the weight of: the board 10 and the guide 8 which may be suspended by a hanger 20 -from the brackets 22, or in any other suitable manner to permit a limited vertical movement.

The needle and brush drum. 18 is mounted upon the drive-shaft 25, which carries the nu1in belt pulley 26. Motion is transmitted through the pulleys 27, 28, 29, 30, and 31 to the crank pulley 32, to which is connected the link 35 for oscillatin the lever 36, pivoted at 37, and connecte b 1 links 38, 39, to the pinsAOof the serrate feeders 12, for the purpose of causing the alternate rccipro eating motion thereof.

As previously described, the lint cotton but is fed along the table 9, by means of the reciprocating serrated feeders l2, and is forced under the spring 19, where it is yieldingly clumped and held by the spring assist ed by the Weight of the resser-board 10 and the guide 8. The cotton projects into the path of the combing and brushing cylinder or drum 18, at the point 15, where it is subjected to a very thorough cleaning action. This feature of our invention is believed to cntirelynew in this art. In cotton gins the cotton is subjected first to the action of a saw drum or n s ike drum, with which c0- operntcs a brush rum which acts as n dofi'er to remove the lint cotton from the teeth or spikes" The cotton but is also sometimes subjected to on air blast to further cleanse it of foreign particles: The action of our combined combing and brushing drum is quite ditlerent from the ginning or the cleaning processes mentioned. We provide a drum with alternate rows of needles 18 and brushes 18", which act alternate] upon the successive portions of the cotton at as itis fell under and held by .the s ring 19. The needles thoroughly comb an card the lint and expose the particles of dirt and trash which remain in the lint cotton after the ginning Jroeess, and the brushes 18 then act directly to throw the foreign particles 011' at an angle into the chamber 45 as indicated, while the lint cotton adheres and iscarried around by the drum and delivered 'into the channel.47, leading to the usual cotton )1665.

The drum 18 is revolved rapidly an the quick succession of alternate rows of nee: dies and brushes acting upon the cotton as itis spring-held at the point 15, causes a most thorough cleansing action which we believe isfar. more efficient than in any prior method. I

The air-blast or current from the gins which carries the lint cotton through the fine 2 and deposits it upon the gauze drum 3, is relieved through the drum into the passage 50, so that the limp bat formed under the-roller 4 may pass under the guide 8 and be fed along the table under ordinary atmos pheric pressure. After it has been sub'ected to the combing and carding action 0 the needles. which straighten out all the naps of the fiber, it is then caught 'byvthe brushes and it is met by currents 'of air drawn in from the chambers 45 and 46, by the rapidly moving drum. The air-current issuing from the chamber 45, up roachesthe drum in a direction substantia ly perpendicular to its surface, and we have found thatin order topro )crly convey the cotton'through the channe 48, it is essential to supply an additional air-current which may join the other 1 current more nearly tangential to the drum.

We, therefore, rovide for a .secondalrcurrent to issue mm the chamber 46, as indicated by the arrow. The volume of the air supply and the proportions of the two; currents 1S accurately regulated by sliding gates or valves 52, 53, by rack and pinion movements controlled from the outside of the (main by means of hand whcels 52, 53. v The a vantages to be derived from the use of our invention in the treatment of' lint. cotton after it las been ginned will be apparent to those ainilial' with cotton handling machinery. The efficient method of removing the'trash and dirt between the ginning and. ressing oiperationsdisclosed herein, by whic the gra e of the lint cotton is greatly y,cot-

improved, will be fully appreciated ton operators. a

While we have described somcwhatindetail an annaratllsby which our invention may he carried out, it will be evident to those skilled in this art that changes can be made therein without departin from the s-Jirit of our invention and wil be within the scope of our claims, which 'aro 1. A lint cotton cleaner com rising a combing andbrush'ing roll, a gui e-wa for the cotton, a weight adapted to press own upon the cotton in the guide-way, a spring arm bearing upon the end of the guide=wa adjacent said roll, and a reciprocable fee device operating to feed the cotton through said guide-way .and under said 9 ring arm 'where itmay be engaged by sai combing and brushing roll.

2. A lint cottoncleaner comprisin pervious cylinder to receive an air-b ast partying the lint cotton from the gins and condense it into a limp bat, an exhaust passage for the air passing through said cylvice comprising a cylinder provided with alternate sets of projectin needles and brushes, a vertically movable guide and presser between -said condensing cylinder and said device, a feeder for forcing the cotton bat under said uide and into the path of said combing anfbrushing device, and a spring-pressed clamping device for holdin the bat at thepointwhere it is operate upon by said needles and brushes.

An apparatus for cleaning lint cotton comprising tn air-blast feeder flue leading from the gins, a condensing cylinder over which the cotton passes, an exhaust passage pressing roller to compress the cotton into a imp hat, a table, reciprocable feeding mechanism cotip'erating therewith, a cleaning device comprising a cylinder having on its "periphery sets of needles and brushes, and means at the end of said table to positive] and yiehlingly hold the cottonv in the patli of said needles and brushes.

4. An apparatus for cleaning lint cotton comprising an air-blast feeder flue leading from the gins, a condensing cylinder over which the cotton passes, a ressing rollerto compress the cotton into a imp bat, a table, rcciprooable feeding mechanism coiiperating therewith, compris ng upper and lower serrated members arranged to slide alternately in opposite directions. and a combined combing and brushing device to operate upon the cotton as it leaves the table.

5. Apparatus for cleaning lint cotton comprising a flue to conduct the cotton-lintsource of supply, meondcnsing cylinder to receive the but, means lint: into a bat, means for exhausting said air-currents through said cylinder, a clean ing and cardingroll having alternate rows (Sf-needles and brushes, feeding mechanism for delivering the bat to said roll, a yieldindcr, acombined combing and brushing defor the air passing through said cylinder, a

for compressing the aden air-currents from the gins or other ing clamping device for holding successive portions of said bat in the path of the needles and brushes, means for delivering air from a plurality of independent channels upon sald cleaning roll, and means for regulating the opening of said channels independent of one another.

6. A lint cotton cleaner comprising an sir-blast feeder flue, a condensing cylinder to receive the lint cotton from the gins, a carding and brushing roll, reciprocable means for feeding the cotton from said cylinder to said roll, and a spring-pressed clam-ping device for holding the cotton at the point where it is being carded and brushed.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

ARTHUR \V. VVASHBURN. CHARLES D. KEELER. \Vitnesses:

C. E. NANCE, \V. H. CRAVEN. 

